Continuous belt-like track



Nov. 18, 1952 sMlTH 2,618,516

CONTINUOUS BELT-LIKE TRACK Filed Jan. 17, 1949 2 SHEETS-SHEET 2 Z 0 (JC- INVENTQR.

ATTORNEY Patented Nov. 18, 1952 UNI-TED STATES PATENT OFFICE CONTINUOUS BELT-LIKE TRACK Oliver R..Smith, Fort Worth, Tex.

Application January 17, 1949, Serial No. 71,383

3 Claims. 1

This invention relates to a continuous belt-like track.

It is an object of the invention to provide in a tractor, endless tracks or belts which are composed of sections, or shoes of novel. construction and which are connected in a novelv manner.

A further object of the invention is to. provide, in a belt of the. character described a novel type of frame for the endless track or belt. structure which is adjustable to maintain the proper tensionon the corresponding track or belt.

A still further object is to provide a frame with toothed, driving;v and. idler wheels mounted. thereon and an. endless, belt. or track about said wheels with which saidv teeth are engageable for driving the belt, said belt having inside spaced tracks and said wheels having extended annular end flanges which ride on said inside tracks to protect the teeth.

Other objects and advantages will be apparent from the following. specification which is illustrated by the accompanying drawings, wherein:

Figure 1 is a side elevation of the track.

Figure 2 is a cross-sectional View taken on the line 2-2 of Figure 1.

Figure 3 is a perspective view of the adjusting means employed.

Figure 4 is an enlarged, fragmentary, crosssectional view taken on the line 44 of Figure 1.

Figure 5 is an enlarged, fragmentary, sectional view taken on the line 55 of Figure 2.

Figure 6 is a fragmentary, plan View as indicated by the line 65 of Figure 5.

Figure 7 is an enlarged, perspective view of a sect-ion, or shoe, of an endless belt, and

Figure 8 is a fragmentary, sectional View.

Referring now more particularly to the drawings wherein like numerals of reference designate similar parts in each of the figures, the numerals l and 2 designate front and rear transverse shafts forming axles.

The belt. or track is provided with a frame which, in the present illustration, is preferably formed of similar channel irons 3, 3 whose marginal flanges are turned outwardly.

The shaft, or axle, 2 rotates in suitable transversely aligned bearings in the rear end of each frame, as illustrated in Figure 1.

At the forward end of each frame there is a suitable casting, designated generally by the, numeral 4 which is of a general U-shape in form having the horizontal bottom 5 and the upstanding sides '6, 6.

The upper margins of said sides are outwardly turned and retracted thus iorming the grooves l, 1 to receive the top flanges of the channel irons 3, 3 as indicated in Figure 2.

Extending transversely of the casting 4 there is a bridge 8 which may be welded, at its ends, to the sides 6 or cast integrally with said sides and extending rearwardly from the bridge and formed as a unit therewith and with the bottom 5 there is a bearing 9 which is internally threaded.

The casting 4 has the transversely aligned bearings l9, IE through which the forward shaft l extends.

The casting 4 is adjustable longitudinally on the channel irons 3 so as to vary the distance between the shafts Or axles I, 2 to. correspondingly vary the tension on the endless belts, as II.

There is an adjusting shaft I2 which has a swivelling connection with a cross bar life, which forms a part of the frame formed by" the channel irons 3, and has a threaded connection with the bearing 9 whereby said casting may be adjusted. Each endless belt, indicated by the numeral II, is mounted on the front and rear toothed wheels, as l3, I' l. These wheels are preferably arranged in pairs cast integrally, as indicated in Figure 2, and they are mounted on the respective axles I, 2 to rotate therewith, the wheels l3 being driving wheels and the wheels It being idler wheels.

If the belt is used in a tractor said tractor may be equipped with any selected type of motor, which is operatively connected with, and drives, in a conventional manner, a driving shaft 16 one end. of which has a sprocket wheel H fixed thereon and aligned with said sprocket wheel I! and fixed on the axle 2 there is a driven sprocket wheel l8. Operating over said sprocket wheels and transmitting rotation from the former to the lat ter'there is. a sprocket chain It. The belts of the tractor may thus be driven from the motor. It is, of course, obvious that any type of motor may be employed and it may be connected with the driving axle. 2 in any conventional manner.

The belt is of novel construction. It is composed of transverse sections, or shoes, 29. These shoes are flexibly connected together. The inner side of each shoe has spaced transverse ribs 2|, 2| preferably formed integrally therewith, said ribs having tenons 22 projecting from one end thereof and having mortises 23 in the other ends thereof, the tenons of one shoe projecting into the mortises of the adjacent shoe and being pinned therein by the transverse pins 24 which extend through aligned bearings, such as 25, in the intermeshing ends of said ribs, as indicated in Figure 6. The corresponding ribs 2| of the shoes are in alignment thus forming tracks and the wheels l3, [4 have external annular flanges [3a, Ma which ride on said tracks 2|, as shown in Figures 1 and 2 to protect the teeth of said wheels l3, [4.

There are anti-friction sleeves 26 mounted on the pins 24 between said ribs 2|. It is obvious that the ribs and anti-friction sleeves will be maintained in longitudinal alignment.

As the belt or track moves along the teeth of the wheels [3, 14 will engage the sleeves 26, as indicated in Figure 5, so as to form a driving connection between the endless belt and the wheels I3, [4 and the axles I, 2 on which said wheels are fixed.

The sections, or shoes, 26 are substantially rectangular in shape with their adjacent ends beveled in a direction so that when the shoes are in contact with the ground surface the bevel will be downwardly and rearwardly, as indicated in Figure 5.

It is apparent that loose earth and other detritus will have a tendency to collect between the aligned ribs or tracks 2! on the bottom run of the belt. In order to permit the escape of this detritus the adjacent margins of the shoes are provided with the registering cutaway portions 27, 28 which form, in effect, discharge hopper-shaped openings through between said shoes for the escape of matter which may tend to accumulate between said aligned ribs. The Wheels [3, [4 of each pair are spaced apart to avoid congestion of detritus between the belt or track and the wheels to facilitate the discharge of said detritus through said hoppers.

In order to support each endless belt in its proper relation to the corresponding frame there are similar brackets, as 29, of an inverted U- shaped form which are secured to the bottom flanges of the channel irons 3, 3. In the present illustration there are five of these brackets 29 although the number may be varied depending on the length of the corresponding belt; also there are the upstanding U-shaped brackets 30 secured to the upper flanges of said channel irons. The number of these brackets may also be varied as required,

Mounted in these lower and upper brackets are the rollers, as 3| and 32, which are mounted on suitable transverse bearin rods in the respective brackets. These rollers 3| and 32 have the end flanges as 33, 33, which are located on the outer sides of the respective ribs 2|, 2| which form tracks therefor and said rollers are provided with grooves, as 34, 34, inwardly of said flanges to receive said tracks.

These rollers 3|, 32, so mounted, assist in supporting and distributing the load carried by the endless belt and conduce to a more precise operation and movement of said belt.

The drawings and description are illustrative merely disclosing what is now considered to be a preferred form of the invention by way of illustration and not by way of limitation while the broad principle of the invention will be defined by the appended claims.

What I claim is:

1. An endless belt, or track, comprising, adjacent sections, or shoes, flexibly connected together, the forward margins of said sections, or shoes, having cut-away portions and the rear margins having a corresponding portion of the upper wall reduced and outwardly beveled, and which register with the cut-away portion of the adjacent shoe to form discharge openings and aligned transverse ribs on the inner side of the belt spaced apart on opposite sides of the openm s.

2. An endless belt, or track, comprising, a frame, a pair of driving wheels mounted on the frame adjacent one end thereof, a pair of idler wheels mounted on the frame adjacent the other end thereof, a flexible belt formed of sections, or shoes, mounted on said wheels, interconnecting means between the driving wheels and belt whereby the latter may be driven from the former, transverse ribs on the inner side of the respective shoes which are spaced apart and flexibly connected together forming spaced tracks between which said driving and idler wheels are located, said driving and idler wheels having annular external flanges which ride on the corresponding tracks, and means for slideably moving one of said pairs of wheels longitudinally on said frame to increase or decrease the tension on said belt.

3. A device of the character described comprising, a frame, longitudinally spaced pairs of driving and idler wheels on which the frame is mounted, a belt formed of sections, or shoes, flexibly connected together mounted on said pairs of wheels, interconnecting means between the drivll'lg wheels and belt whereby the latter may be driven from the former, aligned transverse ribs on the inner side of the belt which are spaced apart and which are flexibly connected together, rollers on the frame around which the belt moves, each of said rollers having annular flanges adjacent its opposite ends which are engageable with said belt outwardly of said ribs and grooves inwardly of said flanges into which said ribs extend, one of said pairs of wheels being adjustable lengthwise with relation to said frame to regulate the tension on said belt.

OLIVER R. SMITH.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,186,721 Wheat June 13, 1916 1,325,220 Washburn Dec. 16, 1919 1,685,676 Linn Sept. 25, 1928 1,687,834 Frederickson Oct. 16, 1928 1,964,533 Rogers June 26, 1934 2,141,421 Taylor Dec. 27, 1938 

